Freaks Ahoy!

Leigh Hobbs was born in Melbourne, grew up in Bairnsdale and has lived and worked in Sydney, Sale and London. He is an artist who works across a wide range of mediums, as well as writing and illustrating his children’s books. Leigh’s first arts-related job was at Sydney’s Luna Park where he created Larry and Lizzy Luna, now in the Powerhouse Museum. Leigh’s ceramic Flinders Street Station Teapot is in the National Gallery of Victoria. Many of his cartoons have appeared in the Melbourne Age newspaper. He is best known, though, for his children’s books featuring his characters Old Tom, Horrible Harriet and Fiona the Pig. Old Tom has been adapted into an extremely popular TV series. Ed Zaghini of Booktrusted News (UK) describes Leigh as ‘one of today’s best living children’s book illustrators’. Leigh has twice been shortlisted for the CBCA Picture Book of the Year Award (for Horrible Harriet and Old Tom’s Holiday) and his books have won every major Children’s Choice Award in Australia. Leigh Hobbs was an art teacher for twenty-five years. He wants it known that some of the characters and incidents in 4F for Freaks and Freaks Ahoy are fictitious.